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The first week of NFL free agency is wrapping up and the Detroit Lions were one of the league’s quieter teams. They did bring in seven new players. After two weeks of thinking about all the moves, It’s time to do some grading. Here’s the Lions report card for their new signings:
CB D.J. Reed
You have to give some serious kudos to Brad Holmes on this one. Inside one hour, the Lions lost Carlton Davis to the Patriots on a $60 million deal and then turned around and signed Reed to a $48 million deal. Reed is of equal or greater value to the Lions and they got him at a significantly reduced value. Superb work from Holmes.
Grade: A
DT Roy Lopez
The Lions needed some interior defensive line help and they got it in Lopez. He’s not much of a pass rusher, or at least he hasn’t been since he came into the league, but he is a good space eater and run stuffer. The thing that drags his grade down a little is that the Lions already have that in DJ Reader. Maybe this grade will change over time.
Grade: B
LB Grant Stuard
Not much to dislike on this one. The Lions parted ways with Jalen Reeves-Maybin a couple of weeks ago and they went out and found their replacement with another pretty good linebacker who is great on special teams and can add some help on defense. But did the Lions really need another linebacker?
Grade: B-
QB Kyle Allen
Welcome to question time with the Detroit Lions. That’s all this signing is going to bring for a while. Allen has been a starter in the NFL and he’s been a good QB2 as well, but he’s also been a guy who was buried at QB3 pretty recently. Fans love Hendon Hooker, but do the Lions? What does Detroit see in Allen? It’s hard to believe he’s just a camp guy. If he was, did they need to sign him during free agency? They could have waited till July if they were going to do something like that.
Grade: B-
CB Avonte Maddox
Really interested to see what the Lions have planned for Maddox. At first, it seemed like they just signed another cornerback, but Maddox has a lot of history at safety and the Lions could use veteran depth there. That’s not to say that he’ll never play corner. But he might be here to help at safety and maybe a little linebacker too. Love the versatility.
Grade: A-
TE Kenny Yeboah
This one seemed like a good idea and then the Lions brought back Shane Zylstra like five minutes later. I know that they’re interested in tight ends right now. It wouldn’t be a shock to see them take on in the draft. It just doesn’t seem like a real fit with this one unless he gets back to being the blocker he was at Ole Miss. He hasn’t been that in the NFL.
Grade: D+
CB Rock Ya-Sin
The Lions lost Kindle Vildor and that felt like an important loss from a cornerback depth spot. Then they went out and got a clear upgrade in Ya-Sin. This is a player with a lot more experience and some of it as a starter. In Detroit, he can play a really big role as that CB5. He can also help out on special teams too.
Grade: A
